Warning issued for companies issuing fake diplomas

There is a warning out of Sacramento about companies selling fake college degrees and diplomas.

Lawmakers held a hearing about a growing number of so-called "diploma mills".

The companies sell phony degrees for as little as $50 or as much as $6,000. They require little or no coursework. Officials say as many as 50,000 fake Ph.D.'s are printed each year, which is more than there are real ones issued. The consequences are serious.

"I recently testified in federal court against two men who are on trial for manslaughter. They pretended to be doctors, they took a child off insulin and she died. Well that's about as extreme as it can get," said Dr. John Bear, a fake diploma analyst.

Legislators are considering penalties for using fake degrees and they're urging employers to verify credentials before hiring.